


don't go, my darling (don't leave me behind)

by madasthesea



Series: Nice work, kid [11]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter feels responsible for Ben Parker's death, Suicidal thoughts under the influence of drugs, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-09
Updated: 2018-11-09
Packaged: 2019-08-20 22:21:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16564238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madasthesea/pseuds/madasthesea
Summary: After Peter gets accidently drugged, he confuses Tony for Ben while in a precarious situation.





	don't go, my darling (don't leave me behind)

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING: Peter does contemplate/attempt suicide, but only under the influence of drugs. Still, you know what you can handle reading, so be careful! This was part of whumptober that I only filled a few prompts for, which is why I haven't posted any of them yet. Title from Don't Go My Darlin' by the National Parks

“Boss, Peter just entered through the kitchen window and is looking for you,” FRIDAY told Tony. He looked up from his project, taking his safety goggles off and tossing them on the desk.

“That’s weird. It’s Wednesday,” Tony muttered, going toward the elevator. “Is he bleeding and/or have any protruding bones?”

“He does not appear harmed, but he is having trouble standing upright.”

“Shoot. Probably a concussion,” Tony cursed as the elevator doors opened. Tony hurried out of them, setting off toward the kitchen. Sure enough, when he turned the corner, he saw Peter leaning against the counter, his head laying on his crossed arms. He wasn’t even in his suit.

“Pete? Did you hit your head?” Tony asked as he approached.

Peter jerked upright, swayed dangerously. Tony stuck his hand out as if to steady him, but Peter gained his balance after a moment.

“Mr. Stark,” he said, his voice hoarse. “I was walking home from Ned’s—“ he slumped against the counter again like he was too tired to hold himself up “—and someone threw a handful of powder in my face and now I feel really weird.”

“Yikes,” Tony agreed. “Let’s take you to the medbay and check it out, ok?” He laid a gentle hand on Peter’s shoulder and coaxed him back to standing. They made their way to the elevator, Tony responsible for keeping Peter walking in a straight line.

Peter listlessly followed Tony into the medbay and nearly collapsed onto a cot. Tony was starting to really worry about whatever drug the kid accidentally just got high on. This wasn’t a typical reaction to any kind of recreational drug that Tony knew of.

He drew some of Peter’s blood, putting it into the computer to analyze. When he turned back around, Peter was sitting up, which was odd considering he’d been practically boneless the last few minutes.

“Pete, you good?” Tony asked.

Peter blinked at him. His eyes focused on Tony for a second before they seemed to go sort of… blank. The absent, unaware look sent shivers up Tony’s spine.

“Mr. Stark,” Peter whispered and Tony relaxed a little bit. At least the kid still knew who he was. “I don’t know why I came here. I’m sorry.”

“Peter, you came here cause of the powder, remember? You got powder blown in your face. I’m having FRIDAY figure out what it is,” Tony said, glancing over his shoulder to look at the computer screen to see how the progress was coming.

When he turned back around, Peter was gone.

“Whoa, what the heck? FRI, where did he go?” Tony dashed toward the windows, but none of them were open and when he peered down, he couldn’t see Peter scaling them.

“He’s on the roof,” FRIDAY said in a rush.

Tony’s blood ran cold.

“Elevator, now,” he shouted as he ran. The doors were open, waiting for Tony, and once he’d dived in, they shut of their own accord and the elevator rocketed upward.

He reached the highest floor and darted out, scrambling to shove open the door to the stairs leading to the roof.

What was Peter doing up there? How had he gotten there so fast?

The blank look in Peter’s eyes from a moment ago appeared in Tony’s mind and he felt bile creep up his throat.

Tony sprinted up the stairs three at a time, his knees protesting the abuse.

When he reached the top, he flung himself into the door so hard he bruised his shoulder, but it didn’t matter because as soon as it opened, Tony could see Peter. Peter, standing on the raised ledge of the tower, staring down at the ground eighty floors below him.

Tony could feel his heart stop beating.

“No! Stop!” Tony cried, breathless.

Peter didn’t look back, but he didn’t step forward either. His head was tilted to the side, like he was curious.

“Peter,” Tony pleaded. “Peter, listen to me.”

“Ben? Is that you?” Peter asked tremulously, his voice so low Tony almost didn’t hear him.

It was like getting a bucket of ice water dumped over Tony’s head. Whatever concoction Peter inhaled, it had him so far in his own head that he thought Tony was his dead uncle.

Tony only knew three things about Ben Parker; he liked Star Wars, Peter blamed himself for his death, and he called Peter ‘Petey.'

 _I’m sorry_ , he thought, whether to Ben or to Peter he wasn’t sure.

“Yeah, Petey, it’s me,” he said, walking forward as silently as he could.

“Ben. How… how are you here?”

“Well, I’ve got to keep an eye on my favorite nephew, haven’t I?” Tony asked, hoping that sounded like something Ben would say. He was terrified, so mind-numbingly terrified, that Peter would figure out his charade before Tony could grab him.

“I… I wish I had died instead of you,” Peter hiccupped, still staring down at the street hundreds of feet under the toes of his sneakers.

“Don’t say that,” Tony begged, tears coloring his voice. “You don’t mean it. That drug is in your head, Petey. That’s all this is.” Tony prayed that’s all this was.

“It… it’s so clear to me now,” Peter said. “May would be better off. I got her husband killed. And I’m a burden. Mr. Stark wouldn’t have to look after me anymore.”

“No!” Tony shouted, lunging forward, then schooled himself when he saw Peter flinch. “No, baby, that’s not true.” He was going out on a limb with that one, but May called Peter baby all the time. Luckily, Peter didn’t seem suspicious of ‘Ben’ using it. “They’d be miserable without you, Peter. They’d never be happy again, if you did this.”

Peter was shaking his head, like he was trying to get his thoughts in order. Tony had to take a moment to stop the sobs building in his chest from tearing up his throat.

“We love you, Petey. I love you,” Tony whispered.

“Yeah?” Peter asked, his voice quivering.

“Yeah.”

There was a long moment of quiet as Peter considered that.

“Uncle Ben, I’m scared.”

“That’s ok, baby,” Tony assured, coming close enough to touch Peter, but he refrained, afraid of startling him while he was still perched on that ledge. “I’m right here.”

Peter held his hand backward and Tony grabbed it, holding on tight.

“I don’t want to do this,” Peter whimpered.

And that was all Tony needed. He reached up, wrapped an arm around Peter’s waist, and pulled. He staggered under Peter’s weight, and only made it a few feet before he fell, Peter still clutched to his chest, but that didn’t matter because they were away from that terrible drop and Peter was alive.

Tony sat there, panting, his heart racing, and held Peter close, his knees coming up on either side of his kid to create a barrier around him.

“Ben,” Peter said, twisting around in Tony’s arms so he could see his uncle’s face.

Tony met his gaze, saw the drug-induced confusion. And then Peter blinked, and it was gone.

“Oh,” Peter breathed, heartbroken understanding dawning on his face. And then his eyes rolled back and he went limp in Tony’s arms.

Tony managed to manhandle Peter so that he could carry him piggy back style down the stairs, into the elevator, and back to the medbay. After the initial moment of horror, Tony had quickly realized that Peter had just passed out.

The drug, as it turned out, was fairly harmless. “As long as you don’t give in to the temptation to throw yourself off a building,” Tony snapped at FRIDAY when she told him, and then winced. The image of Peter standing on the edge of that roof would live forever in Tony’s nightmares.

He got Peter hooked up to an IV for fluids, then collapsed into the seat next to his cot and had a small mental breakdown.

An hour and a half later, Peter woke up. Tony had desperately hoped that Peter would remember none of what transpired, but when he looked at Tony, his eyes filled with tears.

“Hey,” Tony shushed, leaning forward and taking Peter’s hand. He brushed the hair away from his forehead while Peter took shaky breaths, trying to stave off a full meltdown.

They were quiet for a long moment, neither knowing what to say after the night they’d had.

“Mr. Stark?” Peter finally whispered.

“Yeah, buddy?”

“I- I know you were just pretending to be Ben, but… did you mean what you said?” Peter’s voice trembled, his cheeks flushing pink.

Tony wiped away the single tear that ran down Peter’s temple.

“Every word, Pete.”


End file.
